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About Me

Welcome to the Fat Blokes guide to losing weight the Buddhist way. I am on a physical and spiritual journey that leads one day all the way to Dharamsala. I am a morbidly obese, 40 something asthmatic PIE WORRIER who should know better! This is NOT a diet, just a simple mixture of positive thought, healthy eating and lots of exercise. Join me if the mood takes you and please don't walk on the grass without shouting through the letter box! Thanks.

My philosophy of sorts...

'A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad,
cannot fail to produce results. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances,
but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his
circumstances.'

6 Jul 2007

Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza whilst reporting for the BBC News organization and held captive for 114 days - he is now thankfully free. One of his first instincts when released was to highlight the plight of fellow journalists around the world.

The BBC understandably covered this resolution to the story extensively and as a consequence much media interest in the UK is focusing on Alans welcome release.

Alan Johnston has also been awarded an Amnesty Media Award for his reporting of the situation in Gaza for the BBC dueing 2o06/7.

At this happy time, it is easy to forget the extent to which many other journalists suffer to bring us the truth.

'The Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Barometer proves that countries involved in violent conflict are dangerous places for media professionals – with 37 journalists killed in Iraq since the beginning of 2006, 3 in Sri Lanka and Colombia, 2 in Afghanistan. But also the figures from countries like Mexico (7 deaths), Russia (3) the Philippines (2) and China (2) show that the lives of journalists are threatened even in states that do not have discernible war zones.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently published details about 580 journalists that were killed in the line of duty worldwide between January 1992 and August 2006.

According to this data, 71,4% were murdered, 18,4% died in crossfire or in combat-related circumstances and 10% during other dangerous assignments. Print reporters face the greatest risk of death, except in few parts of the world like the Philippines and India where radio journalists and TV reporters have a higher risk of being killed.

137 journalists and media staff have been killed since the beginning of the Iraq war, which is the deadliest conflict for media professionals since the Second World War. '

'From the viewpoint of absolute truth, what we feel and experience in our ordinary daily life is all delusion. Of all the various delusions, the sense of discrimination between oneself and others is the worst form, as it creates nothing but unpleasantness for both sides. If we can realize and meditate on ultimate truth, it will cleanse our impurities of mind and thus eradicate the sense of discrimination. This will help to create true love for one another. The search for ultimate truth is, therefore, vitally important.'Dalai Lama

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A PRECIOUS HUMAN LIFE

"Every day, think as you wake up, today i am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all of my energies to develop myself. To expand my heart out to others: to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.I am going to have only kind thoughts towards others. I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as i can."

Om mani padme hum

DISCLAIMER - STRANGELY, I AM NOT A DOCTOR OF ANYTHING LET ALONE MEDICINE SO PLEASE SEEK ADVICE FROM APPROPRIATELY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS BEFORE BLINDLY FOLLOWING ANY HALF-BAKED RECOMMENDATIONS OR INFORMATION I MAY IMPART. YOU WOULD THINK THIS WAS SELF-EVIDENT BUT…..